I don't know what those headphones sound like but if your onboard sound is anything like what i've seen the a killer set would just let you hear the noise and other crap more clearly. Garbage in - garbage out. even if your phones aren't top notch at least they would have a decent signal to work from given a better sound card.

What I'm saying is that if the onboard sound isn't good then a good set of head phones aren't going to improve the situation. The onboard sound I've came across, not considering flat frequency response or distortion or what ever, has been littered with noise, hiss, and the odd squeeks and pops of the electrical noise going on inside a computer. If yours isn't like that then bonus for you, go for new cans, if not then a new exspensive set of phones will let you hear all of that garbage more easily. I don't know what your equipment sounds like to you or where your priorities lie so you need to answer that. Not trying to sound like a jerk, I'm just sayin'....

SOUND CARD hands down man... I'm using $20 headphones, and they sound like they're worth a lot more than that thanks to the sound card. Trust me on that... even if you don't have very nice headphones, they will sound way better than you ever thought they could. Prelude is a very nice card, look into auzentech forte also.

If I had to choose one or the other, I'd be looking at a sound card. Not only does it clean up your source signal, sometimes it will give you the means to brute force your way through the headphone's shortcomings. It gives you more options in the future, such as feeding the (better) signal into a sound system or similar. And personally, I can vouch that my old $19.99 cans definitely took on new life after I invested in a Prelude.

But a little of both might have some merit too - for all the virtues of the $100+ headphones, you can get some surprisingly solid stuff for $50 or less, and spend the rest on a decent sound card and possibly come away even better.

Soundcard without a doubt. In my honest opinion, dish out $100-150 for a nice soundcard, save for a month, then grab yourself some nice stereo headphones for around the same price, you'll be glad you did!

What I'm saying is that if the onboard sound isn't good then a good set of head phones aren't going to improve the situation. The onboard sound I've came across, not considering flat frequency response or distortion or what ever, has been littered with noise, hiss, and the odd squeeks and pops of the electrical noise going on inside a computer. If yours isn't like that then bonus for you, go for new cans, if not then a new exspensive set of phones will let you hear all of that garbage more easily. I don't know what your equipment sounds like to you or where your priorities lie so you need to answer that. Not trying to sound like a jerk, I'm just sayin'....

Trust me Ryan, you don't come across like a jerk. Thanks for the advice. I've located an Auzentech Prelude on RFD and I offered the guy $130...if it sticks I think I've got a hell of a sound card for the money.

IF the improvement isn't what I'm looking for, then I'll start auditioning new cans...